Education for Everyone – Not a Standard Practice

However, education was not something that could be taken for granted at the beginning of the 19th century. At that time, most schools in Switzerland were in a critical state. With the exception of a few larger villages, most of the smaller ones had neither appropriate teaching materials nor their own school buildings. There was a particular lack of trained teachers. Most of the qualified teachers taught the offspring of a wealthy family. In many places teaching was a task for the pastors.

The Education Act of 1832 separated schools from the church. From then on, teachers were trained at a cantonal school. The Graubünden (Grisons) School Regulations of 1846 determined a general minimum level of compulsory education for all children.

In addition to reading, writing and maths, physical education was added as a “patriotic” subject, which after 1874, for boys was also considered preparation for military service. While the boys did physical education, the girls attended sewing classes. Since the end of the 19th century, scientific subjects gained in importance.

In 1874, attendance at school became compulsory throughout Switzerland. However, it took decades before each canton was able to establish a nationwide offer of public schools and teaching materials. Johanna Spyri (1827-1901) experienced these important milestones in the transformation of the school system firsthand.